Universal
by Laxcgurl14
Summary: We've all changed, but we still have our past, our present, and our future to keep us going. We are, after all, universal. 100 Drabble Challenge.
1. Introduction, aka Olivia and Emma Part 1

**I just so happened to be browsing the internet for some research I'm doing for school, then bam: a 100 drabble challenge popped up and made me think about writing something. So, here you go.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything.**

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**100 Drabble Challenge**

**001) Introduction**

"That's it! I've had _enough!_"

She stomped through the shop to the back room, pulling the red, velvet curtain around behind her, struggling to contain her rage. It was obvious to even the most random of strangers that she was clearly, deeply upset and frustrated over something. Her fists clenched together and her teeth gridded in her jaw, while her nose scrunched up into a scowl.

Emma Tolly sighed, taking her time to finish reading the paragraph in the latest book she had discovered amidst her aunt's personal collections, before looking up at her best friend.

She knew _exactly_ what Olivia Vertigo was hung up over.

"What happened now?" she sighed, shutting her book with an audible thump and turning around in her chair to take a better look at her fuming friend who somehow managed to make it to the couch on the other side of the room without knocking over any of the large stack of books that were piled on top of each other and practically crowded the entire space.

It was very impressive considering Olivia could turn out to be such a clutz when she was angry.

Olivia snarled through her teeth, glaring at the fireplace so intensely, Emma swore the flames grew twice in size from the young actresses' glare. "The nerve of some people! You'd think they have something else better to do than holler at an amateur actress for an autograph before taking it back at the last possible second. I swear, I was this close to ripping their heads off!" She brought her forefinger and thumb together so close, to show her best friend what little space there was for her patience.

Emma just sighed again before shaking her head. "What do you expect, Livvy? You may not be famous around the world, yet, but you sure are famous in this city, especially since you've lived here for most of your life. Some people are just dying to find a way to make you lose your cool."

The actress was barely listening. She plopped her head down into her hands, massaging the top of her head like she's done so many times before in the past. After a while, she finally glanced up at her best friend, a sad, melancholy smile plastered onto her nude lips.

"Sometimes I wish things could go back to the way they were, Em."

"Easier said than done, I'm afraid."

"I know," Olivia sighed restlessly. "A girl can dream though, can't she?"

This got her friend to laugh at full force. Oh, the irony of it all. "Liv, you are that exact definition. If I remember correctly, wasn't it you who 'dreamed' of becoming an actress? And let's see here...it's been three years since we've graduated and you are officially a working actress. _Hm_..."

Olivia waved her off, grinning. "Alright, alright. Point taken. Seriously, though, if you take a look at it, time is moving so fast." Emma raised an eyebrow, a bit bemused. "I mean, ever since we've graduated from that godforsaken academy, life has been so dull and yet, vibrant at the same time. Our old gang is slowly drifting away from each other and heading their own, separate ways-except for you and me, of course."

She took the time to drift her eyes towards a specific bookshelf, where she knew Miss Julia Ingledew kept old photos of their past. She heard Emma crack her knuckles and stretch.

"Livvy, what are you getting at? You've never been like this..." _Especially when you're mad_, Emma thought at the end of her sentence. She was afraid to risk getting beaten with a four-inch heel.

The twenty-one-year-old actress leaned against the couch, looking absolutely gorgeous and surreal. It took Emma a while to get used to this somewhat new Olivia Vertigo, her best friend who'd always be her best friend with that same, dorky personality of hers. Emma was glad that Olivia came with her to visit Aunt Julia and Uncle Paton for the summer holidays-she figured Olivia needed the break from the stress of shooting her first big movie, on top of their schooling, on top of her eccentric boyfriend who made her melt down to the ground in delight. Not that Emma was one to talk, of course...

"Sorry if I can't help but linger a bit on my childhood memories, Emma." Olivia drawled sarcastically, something she was now an expert at. That was another thing Emma had to get used to: Olivia's sarcastic humor, but she just rolled her eyes and scoffed vehemently. Olivia returned back to her thoughtful expression, her pointer finger resting on her chin. "Well...Charlie and Billy are still living here, but of course, we all knew that was going to be the case. They have an academy to run after all. Lysander's living with Lauren just outside the city limits, Ben's with his dogs, Una Onimous is a little troublemaker in Bone's, Gabriel's with his gerbils-no surprise there-Dagbert's studying marine biology, Asa Pike actually has a decent job and...oh let's see! You and Tancred are getting married at the end of summer break."

Emma hated her pale skin, especially at that moment because she turned a beat red that rivaled that to a rose's and it covered nearly all of her entire face. Olivia started laughing hysterically, amused by her best friend's embarrassment and couldn't help but think what irony it was that she just so happened to be the person to make Olivia feel so much better than before.

"Speak for yourself, Liv! It's only a matter of time before Fidelio pops the question also!"

This got her to stop laughing and it was now Olivia's turn for her face to turn red. The actress avoided Emma's righteous, knowing smirk. "You, uh, really think so?"

"Why wouldn't he? You two have been dating since we were seventeen and by the looks of it, it seems like he falls in love with you more every day."

"Is it that obvious?"

"Livvy, it's been obvious to all of us ever since our group of friends started to form..."

"Oh God. You know, this reminds me of that one time when you confronted me in our dorm during our seventh year and asked me what I thought about Fido before and after the time he and I started dating. Remember?"

Emma smiled. "Of course I remember. You were completely mortified because our entire dorm wanted to find out."

"You were so shy back then. It kind of took me by surprise on how blunt you began to be. How the hell was I supposed to know you'd switch personalities on me?"

Her best friend just rolled her eyes. "Oh please, I could tell you were just _dying_ to talk about it. I did you a favor."

Olivia spluttered. "I-what? Doing me a _favor?!_"

Emma ignored her, taking her eyes away from the fireplace to the mantle bookshelf where her Aunt Julia kept all of their old photos from years ago. "That wasn't the only memory I had of you that year...In fact, there were so many others..."

"So many...it's hard to keep track of them..." Olivia agreed, shifting back to her thoughtful mood. After a while, she started grinning, staring between Emma and the bookshelf. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

Emma turned and grinned, nodding her head. "I'm way ahead of ya."

It was time to bring out the laughs, the cries, the sadness, the love, and the joy...

They had time. It was Sunday, after all.

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**And it's time to continue on with the drabbles.**

**I'm not particular with reviewing. I'm just a novice writer who loves practicing her literary capabilities and skills, but if you want, feel free to leave me a review! **


	2. Complicated

**Sorry if this has barely any dialogue, I'm in journalism class and I'm trying to improve on my descriptive passages. Besides, I actually enjoy expressive writing, it gives readers a much more descriptive view on the characters' emotions.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Charlie Bone.**

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**Couple: Fidelio x Olivia**

**Drabble 002: Complicated**

"She's my best friend."

"So?"

...

"He's my best friend!"

"So?"

...

"So I can't just ignore all concepts of our friendship and tell her how I feel."

"Why not?"

...

"...I-I just can't tell him..."

"Why not?"

...

"Damn it! This is like a stereotypical thing from a high school romance movie: A boy is in love with his best friend, who happens to be a girl and that boy happens to be too much of a realist to tell her."

"Took the words right out of my mouth."

...

"What the hell is wrong with this picture?! We've been friends far longer than Charlie and I have been and vice versa. Why shouldn't I tell him?"

"Do me a favor and take your own advice."

...

"What should I do?"

"Tell her."

...

"What should I do?"

"Tell him."

...

Both of them, though equally distant away from each other, seemed to share in the same, resounding thought:

"Bugger."

* * *

It was in her fifth year and his sixth year when it had been known by the majority of the students in Bone Academy that they simultaneously fell in love with the other.

Every student thought it was a perfect match and were guaranteed that he would ask her out immediately.

There was just a bit of a problem, which turned out to be _more_ complicated than it actually was:

They were best friends and both were completely oblivious to the other's feelings.

* * *

Fidelio Gunn had no idea what he was doing at that moment. For the majority of the break, he had been arguing with Charlie over what seemed like a very trivial conversation pertaining to a particular drama department student, who had been known for her knack in defining all logical terms of...well, life itself. The basis of their argument (Though Fidelio will deny it being an argument, but Charlie Bone would like to say otherwise)? The fact that Fidelio was in love with his best friend, a fact which made it so much more complicated.

It had been nearly four-and-a-half years since the Endowed War between the good and the bad endowed, and life was turning out to be pretty good until that moment. It was only until the summer after his fifth year in which Fidelio realized he was currently in love with the famous, righteous, absolutely crazy Olivia Vertigo. It had been that day in which Olivia had called him up, asking him to join her for a "day-of-fun-slacking-off" since everyone else in their group of friends were too busy doing other stuff. It was that day, when he had shown up on Olivia's doorstep to find her dressed in a pair of striking pink shorts that showed off her tan, muscular legs with a teal-colored sleeveless top that, once again, showed off her tan, muscular arms. Her face was void of any unusual make-up and her hair was dyed back to its original mouse-brown color with a single magenta dyed streak of hair, that framed either side of her face.

Her overall appearance and the fact that there was obvious signs that Olivia had matured a bit since the end of her fourth year, made Fidelio's heart flip.

He realized with a sudden pang that he had never realized just how beautiful Olivia was.

They had spent the entire day together, going around the city and discovered many places that were both intriguing and foreign to both of them. It was about halfway through the day in which Fidelio had come to the conclusion on his feelings for the exuberant actress. It was when they were eating a late lunch and Olivia was talking about her thoughts on becoming something else other than an actress, having a faraway look that still held determination, in which Fidelio had wanted nothing more than to have her dream come true. It also came to some rather intimate thoughts about reaching under the table to take hold of her hand and snog her senselessly without any warning, but Fidelio restrained himself.

By the end of the day both of them were extremely worn down and had decided to go to Olivia's house to take a break. It was there in which Olivia popped in a movie, got popcorn, and then surprised him into nearly having a heart attack when she leaned on him for support, as if they were a couple on a typical date. The only thing left out of the equation was the kissing part, but Fidelio definitely thought that would just make it too complicated. By the time he had to get back home, Olivia once again surprised him by kissing him on the cheek and sincerely thanking him for a fantastic day. He was tempted to kiss her back, on the lips, however, but restrained himself again.

After that, Fidelio couldn't stop thinking about Olivia and that just made him driven to the point of insanity because when school started, he proceeded to avoid the actress as much as he possibly could. He was still friendly to her, of course, but he just couldn't take it when she'd give him that adorable smile or jump tackle him into a hug. The violinist was afraid he would do something drastic, such as the snogging senselessly idea he kept having every single day whenever he saw her, and ruin their friendship forever.

From there, his life was going downhill. Fast.

Though, in his defense, Olivia _had_ changed over the years. No longer was she an annoying little pest who begged to be put in the spotlight, who wanted the attention of others solely on her. No longer was she known as the wickedly talented actress who's head was a bit screwy. No longer was she prone to dying her hair every way possible, or dressing outrageously. Well, scratch that last it, her outfits and hairstyles were still outrageous, but most people thought it was in a classy way now, unlike before.

Olivia Vertigo was now known as the famously talented actress who turned out to be amazing in not only her acting, but her life as well. Who had developed into an extravagant, gorgeous young lady that turned heads whenever she'd walk down the hallways of Bone Academy. She was flawless, graceful, and held this surprising decorum of sophistication but not in a snobby way. She was full of humor and made everyone laugh at her jokes, sarcasm, and comebacks; she was still outgoing and friendly, but in a reserved mannerism. It could be safe to say that the entire school was in love with her (but that'd be a bit too Mary Sue), but there were definitely a good few who were still in complete resentment of her.

Not just anyone could just call her perfect though (because, once again, that'd be _way_ too Mary Sue) because Olivia did have her flaws. Olivia was insecure about her physical appearance, calling herself a small child compared to all those other girls who looked like Victoria Secret Models. She was insecure about the way she treated others, either with too much respect, or too much remorse. She'd automatically apologize profusely after saying something that seemed offensive to the other person and she'd always leave with that type of guilt and worry where it'd keep her up a bit at night.

In fact, now that Fidelio thought of it as he was making his way past the students of Bone Academy towards his one goal, Olivia seemed to be insecure about a lot of things. Yet, she never seemed to show it-and Fidelio couldn't tell if it was her acting talents working their charm to hide her insecurities, or if it was just her stubbornness to refuse to show any signs of weakness.

One thing was for certain, as soon as Fidelio reached her, he'd say what he had been dying to say to her for so many years...

...and there was no turning back for him...

...which could probably turn complicated by the time he was finished.

Oh well.

* * *

Olivia Vertigo was completely shocked when her best friend Emma Tolly came up to her during the beginning of break, demanding to know what her "deal" was. Apparently, Emma had noticed something different about Olivia, which only confused the actress seeing as she had changed since the Endowed War. When asked about it, Olivia had backfired on her friend, asking how in the world the shy, gentle Emma Tolly suddenly turned into a blunt, forwarded female acquisition, accusing Olivia that something was "different" about her. Her friend simply figured it to be the cause of being sick and tired of Olivia's cluelessness about her "different" spectrum.

"Different" was a bit of an understatement, especially for Olivia. Sure she had changed drastically since the Endowed War, as she had toned down her blunt personality and her outrageous acting personality (at least, that was what she thought. The rest of the school had seen no sorts of change in that category, however.). There were definitely times where she still managed to say what was on her mind during certain subjects and whenever she became "too" blunt she'd take it back and apologize profusely to whoever she was talking to, in fear of offending them.

So the actress had no idea what her best friend thought was "different" about her seeing as Emma had never said anything about it to her before that day. Was it the fact that Olivia had stopped using her endowment for the fun of it? No...Olivia would still use her ability to come up with the illusion of a spider much to the terror of a certain storm-bringer (she laughed when she remembered how Tancred had leaped into Lysander's arms). So what was it?

Suddenly, she caught sight of another parallel scenario similar to hers with Emma. It was Fidelio and Charlie and it looked like Charlie was talking to Fidelio about an embarrassing topic of conversation for after a few moments of talking, Fidelio's face turned a particular shade of rose that lit up his ears and nose like a beacon. It made him look like Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer despite the fact that it was only late September...

It was the cutest thing she had ever seen.

When she turned back to Emma, she saw her blonde friend folding her arms and looking at her with a raised eyebrow and an annoying, knowing smirk on her lips.

Olivia suddenly had the realization that the "different" Emma was referring to about her must've been the epiphany which Olivia had over the summer. It was on an extremely sunny day in late July and nearly everyone was busy: Charlie and Billy were with their dad on a historical trip to locate the places in which the Red King had visited; Gabriel had gone to this weird musicians camp; Benjamin Brown (not that Olivia was very close to Ben, but he was part of their friend group so why not?) was with his parents overseas, bringing Runner Bean with him, of course; Emma and Tancred were having their first official date after waiting for Emma to turn 16 (due to strict discipline from Aunt Julia and Uncle Paton), so Olivia was definitely _not_ going to ruin that moment; and Dagbert (as Olivia realized with a sudden punch to her stomach that he was considered a friend) was working at the Kettle Shop.

That only left one other person: Fidelio.

It was a wonder how in the world he wasn't busy over the summer since his humongous family practically had an array of activities to do. But Olivia couldn't help but feel pleased that he had abandoned his family to hang out with Olivia for the entire day.

Olivia's heart contracted with that pang of remembrance she felt ever since that day. It was that day in which Olivia had that epiphany:

She was in love with Fidelio.

Which made so much more sense at the time than it did when they were eleven. He was practically everything to her, _for_ her. He was so nice, kind, sweet, and had that amazing sense of wisdom that rivaled that to Lysander's which always helped Olivia out during moments where she felt conflicted. He had been her rock, her stone since they had met in their English class when they were eleven and (though she'll completely deny this to anyone who asked) she even thought he was the cutest boy in their year.

But it was during that day (which Olivia couldn't help but call it a date) in which Olivia came to appreciate the way he would do nice small gestures for her, even if some were the typical gentlemen gestures such as opening the door for her or pushing her chair in or paying for nearly everything (which was a lot and by the time the "date" was over, Olivia kept apologizing for having wasted nearly all of the money in Fidelio's wallet, to which he just laughed). There were moments in which she couldn't help but blush and remember every explicit detail: the way his hand would reach up protectively so that his fingertips just grazed over the small of her back; or when he gave her that smile that he gave to no one else, a smile meant just for her; or the fact that he was completely patient with her whenever she window shopped and couldn't decide on what to buy.

Countless times she was in a roller-coaster of emotions during that date. She hated how perfect he seemed to be (because he was since he knew what his flaws were and accepted them with high regards) and hated how her stomach flipped every time she just stared at his face. Because, in all of Olivia's honesty, he had become _gorgeous_ and looked like a freaking model when she saw him standing in her doorway. At the same time, she loved the way he cared enough about her own views and opinions and, unlike others, had accepted them wholeheartedly without being offended in the least (albeit their teasing arguments they had on a couple of subjects). She loved every inch of him, both physical wise and personality-wise (especially personality wise).

By the end of the day, they were equally exhausted and Olivia had no idea what compelled her but she had suggested to Fidelio to go over to her house to kill the remaining time they had. Her heart nearly gave out on her when he said yes. She was thankful she had done her house chores the day before, so her house was prim and proper (her parents were on some type of meeting for their next big film) and so she made popcorn, fluffed the pillows on the couch and popped in _The Breakfast Club._ But the time the movie was starting, Olivia felt her body go slack with exhaustion and without meaning to, Olivia had leaned her head against Fidelio's shoulder, to which he just chuckled and she _swore_ she felt his arm come around her.

When Fidelio left, Olivia was overwhelmed with so much emotion for this one boy who had been so achingly loyal to her over the years of their friendship, that at that point she didn't care about the personal boundaries she was affecting between them. She leaned over and kissed his cheek, giggling when he looked awestruck by the gesture and proceeded to blush. She couldn't recall exactly what she said next, but it was in regards to expressing her gratefulness towards him. He left with that whimsical smile and left Olivia nearly fainting to the ground in wonder.

She hadn't stopped thinking about him ever since. But to make her feel like she did something wrong, since the start of the school year, Olivia wondered why Fidelio was trying to avoid her. She felt a pang of regret and suddenly came to a sickening thought that she might've made it a bit more complicated than she intended to.

* * *

He saw her fidget a bit nervously when they made eye-contact and she could tell he was walking towards her, with a sort of pose that meant business.

Her breath hitched in her throat and Emma took her hand and gave an assuring squeeze before leaving.

Some people eyed the two individuals, knowing gleams in their eyes.

He tried giving a smile, his smile for her, and stopped as soon as he reached her.

She saw that smile he gave her and released a sigh of relief with the thought that it probably wasn't as serious as she thought it was going to be.

* * *

"Hi, Olivia."

"Hey, Fido, what's up?"

His smiled widened a bit further and shook his head. How typical of her to try to lighten the tense mood between them.

"Nothing much. You?"

"Well, I've been kind of starting to question our friendship for the past few weeks, considering that you've barely called, texted, or even talked to me ever since we hung out over the summer. But other than that I'm fantastic."

He sighed. She had her arms folded around herself and an uncharacteristic grim look made its way on her face.

"Liv, I-"

"You know, I get the feeling that you've been purposefully avoiding me. And now, all of a sudden you think it's ok to just waltz up to me and say 'hi'?"

She felt upset, not angry, that Fidelio would avoid her on purpose. Sure, she made it a bit awkward when she suddenly kissed his cheek, but that was showing him how grateful she was for his friendship. She just couldn't...couldn't...understand...

"I've been avoiding you, because I just wasn't sure how to come about this the right way..."

"What are you talking ab-?"

"I like you, Liv," Fidelio breathed out, taking her hand in his and staring directly into her wide eyes with what he hoped showed just how much he _wanted_ her. "A lot. I was scared that I would make it too complicated between us, because I value your friendship too, you know, like you told me that day when we hung out? I thought avoiding you for a bit after that could've made it seem less obvious that I like you, but then Charlie just came up to me and just flat out yelled at me to tell you because he said you were mad at me and I couldn't just let that happen because I love you, Olivia and I just couldn't stop thinking about you since out date, if you considered it a date-"

"Fidelio?" She managed to croak out, her voice rasp and husky. Fidelio stopped ranting when she place a hand on his cheek.

He swallowed. "Um, yeah?"

Olivia managed to give him a brilliant smile that stopped his heart for a couple of seconds. "You didn't have to make things so damn complicated, then."

And with that, without a care in the world that practically the entire school was watching, without a care in the world that the horn sounded the end of break, without a care in the world that she was breaking the PDA rule of the school, without a care in the world that she was breaking every possible rule of friendship...

Olivia Vertigo stood on her tip-toes and snogged Fidelio Gunn senselessly.

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**Well, there you go. The last bit was fun to write :)**

**Feel free to review!**


	3. Olivia and Emma Part 2

**Bet you didn't see this coming: A filler chapter. It'll make sense if you paid attention during the Introduction chapter. The filler chapters will just be full of dialogue. You'll be seeing a lot of these after every other chapter. They're just something to keep the storyline flowing, so I guess there won't be 100 chapters but more...Oops.**

**Disclaimer: Do not own anything.**

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**Back with Olivia and Emma**

"HA, HA, HA!"

"Oh, shut up, Emma, it wasn't _that_ funny."

"Are you kidding me? You snogged Fidelio in front of everyone! _Including_ Dr. Saltweather and Mr. Bone, which was so awkward because then didn't they come up to you two and talk to you about 'adolescent behavior?'"

"Yes...and the fact that despite our 'hormones,' we needed to be aware of the younger children and their innocence..."

"HA!"

"Em..."

"Olivia, come on, that memory was hilarious and you know it. Besides, it was a good thing you both kissed, otherwise we'd probably live in torment for waiting however long it would take the two of you to go out."

"Oh, you mean like with you and Tancred?"

"..."

"I thought so. Let's see...when was it that you started liking each other? Wait, you liked him before the war even started...That's awkward..."

"Liv that's so mean!"

"Hey, it's true! I remember when you kept complaining that Tancred didn't ask you out yet, even when he showed all signs of wanting to be in a relationship with you. You called it something..."

"Oh I remember. I was so fed up with Tancred not having the guts to ask me out, or at least admit that he like me, that I started to pretend I wasn't interested in him anymore."

"Yeah, only 'cause you'd been pining after him since the dawn of time."

"That's not true, Olivia!"

"HA! Looks who's the one being laughed at _now_."


	4. Making History

**I AM DONE WITH EXAMS! Boo-ya, now I can focus on writing, reading, and French.**

**Author's Note: Thanks so much for the review from AustralianWallaby111! I really appreciate it :) **

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything.**

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**Couple: Tancred and Emma**

**Drabble 003: Making History**

It was known to anybody who went to the Bone Academy and had spent a good enough time there, to know the heartbreaking, juicy gossip that was made apparent to everybody since the Bloors left. It had started a short time before the Endowed War had even begun: when the storm-monger had first started dating the infamous Tracy Morsell, who was a right foul witch to him in the end. It was the knowing part that had every single Bone student writhing with impatience for how long it had been going on, and how nothing was done about it. In fact, it could be safe to say that the knowing part was so old by the time their fifth year rolled along, it deserved a special place in the history books...

The known fact that Emma Tolly and Tancred Torsson were madly and deeply in love with each other.

And they were too cowardly to do anything about it while being completely oblivious to the other's feelings...

That is, until Tancred decided it was time to stop making it to just the history books and actually start making it the future.

* * *

Tancred stared straight at her from across the table in the Pet's Cafe.

Her delicate hand reached over to grab a cracker from one of the plates and gracefully retracted to feed it to her duck, Nancy. Her gorgeous eyes crinkled at the edges as she giggled at Nancy's antics before they darted back to meet his in a quick glance.

His entire body froze when his cerulean eyes met her sky-blue ones and yet his heart started to beat uncontrollably, making it seem as if it would pop out of his chest at any given second. It felt like she was staring into his very soul and he into hers, but it quickly vanished as she turned away in indifference, as if the whole exchange between them meant nothing to her when it was obvious to Tancred that it had some effect on her.

He sighed. It was his fault, really, he had to admit. Ever since he held her hand after the Endowed War, he should have just asked her out right then and there, but _no_ he had to be a complete coward and fail to do so, giving her the impression that he wasn't into her.

That was just it, though; Tancred Torsson was completely in love with Emma Tolly.

He knew it was real love, too, unlike the immature infatuation he had with Tracy, who just ended up being a total airhead that Tancred pretended to himself that he was drunk throughout the entire relationship (even though Olivia and Lysander and Fidelio never let him forget the real story behind his stupidity). Emma was so different from her by a large number of things: for one, she was such a loyal and trustworthy friend to him and the others in their endowed group, never failing once to help in a plan of action; she was so brave on taking chances to explore and delve deeper into the mysteries of their enemies; she was smart and talented in schoolwork and logic; and probably the most influential thing that she had ever done, the very thing that had Tancred fall in love with her in the first place, was her astounding, driven capability to save a friend in need, to risk that potential threat of being in danger in order to save the ones she cared for the most.

So when she started acting as if he meant nothing to her, his heart died a little at the sheer thought of her gone from his life.

It was the first time where both Tancred and Emma were at the Pet's Cafe together with everyone else since the end of last term. He wasn't as stupid as people made him out to be because he could see everyone else at the table glancing between him and Emma with awkward, sympathetic looks.

After everything he had been through, with his drowning and the endowed battle and his disconnected relationship with Emma, the last thing Tancred needed was pity from other people.

"Does anyone want to go with me, Fidelio, and Emma to the beach later this afternoon?" Olivia offered to the table.

Charlie and Billy looked at each other. "No can do, Liv. Dad's got Billy and me doing official Red King stuff." His tone was apologetic, but his eyes were steely and a bit cold. Tancred knew better than to call out on him, despite how much he wanted to embarrass Bone for being so stupid. Charlie had been distant and cold to Olivia ever since Fidelio asked her out. Suffice to say, he was a bit of a hypocrite seeing as he was the one who convinced Fidelio to ask her out in the first place...well, it was either that or he was just frustrated over the book his Uncle Paton was writing.

Benjamin Brown sneezed before answering. "Yeah, sorry Liv, but I'm helping Naren and her dad with their rebuilding of the bridge. The pay is actually worth climbing over that danger zone." Olivia scoffed and shared an amused glance with Tancred, thinking along the same lines as he was that Ben wasn't probably doing it just for the pay...

Dagbert took a drink of his soda before looking at Olivia with a raised eyebrow. "Why of all days, do you want to go to the beach?"

"Gee, I don't know, Dags, maybe because it's actually a beautiful day and I feel like taking advantage of it?"

"It's not like the beach is _that_ far. My dad's actually taking us in our van in case transportation is an issue for any of you." Fidelio said in his assuring voice that could lure anyone to practically agree with him (and his girlfriend, though she did it in her own way).

Dagbert smirked, seemingly content with that answer. "As fun as it sounds, I'm on my way of inventing a great water valve in the Kettle Shop and I was planning on working on it after this little get together. I'm sorry."

Olivia's eyes narrowed. "Well thanks for having me waste three minutes of my life to explain my want for excitement to you." Dagbert just grinned and shrugged his shoulders while Olivia rolled her eyes.

Gabriel scrunched up his nose. "Sorry, Olivia, I'm busy too. I gotta build a new fort for my gerbils, they grow bigger by the day, you know."

"Yeah, Gabe. We know." Lysander rolled his eyes as his girlfriend, Lauren giggled beside him. "You have, like, a thousand of them..."

"_Not a thousand_," Gabriel said through gritted teeth before sheepishly rubbing his hand on the back of his head. "I have fifty-eight, now..."

"Fifty-eight? I thought it was fifty-six the last time!" Billy squeaked out, his red eyes widening behind his large-rimmed glasses.

Emma, for the first time, had decided to speak up, her eyebrows raising a little in accusation as she stared amused at Gabriel. "Rita and her hubby still going strong, I suppose?"

A collective chorus of laughs erupted from everyone around the table, including Tancred and Emma looked proud of her own joke.

Once it died down, Gabriel blushed and shook his head. "Actually no, it's not Rita this time, though in case you're wondering her and Oscar are better than ever." Emma giggled a bit and Tancred yearned for that giggle to be directed at him. "It was Henrietta and Truman."

"Oh, congratulations," said Olivia with laughter still shaking behind her voice. She gave Emma a proud smile.

Lysander and Lauren simultaneously smiled apologetically in Olivia's direction. "We're busy too, Olivia, sorry. After this, Lauren and I are heading out to celebrate our anniversary."

At that point Lysander darted a glance between Emma and Tancred, who both tensed up, and looked extremely guilty back at them.

Not that he wasn't happy for his best mate, but Tancred couldn't help but feel envious of the easy life Lysander seemed to have with Lauren. It had been nearly a year and they were still together at this point, perfectly content with how their relationship was turning out to be. Not a day seemed to pass by without Lysander at least spending time with Lauren, which meant less down time with Tancred. Though, Tancred didn't feel lonely those days, he had Emma to turn to, but now that she was avoiding him based on his lack to voice his feelings to her, he felt more alone than ever.

And if he felt the want to have a relationship like Lysander, he was going to have one with _her_ and no one else.

So if Emma was going along this trip, and even if she looked as if she was wishing he was about to make up an excuse to not go, Tancred still believed in the idea of them. He believed in her and he knew she still felt the same way he did. Which was why, at that moment, he decided to stop being such a coward and start becoming courageous based on inspiration from Emma herself and said:

"I'll come along."

* * *

Emma looked up abruptly from Nancy's sleeping form when she heard Tancred's strong voice call out, "I'll come along."

She realized she had been holding a breath in anticipation for his reply, when everyone else had an excuse not to come along. She knew she was contradicting herself (one of her many flaws that Olivia never failed to point out) when she wished Tancred had a similar excuse not to go and yet, deep inside, she _wanted _him to go. She had been avoiding him ever since he gave no indication of making a move to ask her out after he held her hand in the Pets' Cafe after the battle of the endowed at the end of her second year. Ever since then, the ass didn't even have the guts to even chase after her or give her some idea that he wanted to be with her.

And damn, it was going on a for a _long_ time now.

But at that moment, Emma couldn't defy all of the logical options that were running through her head on how to avoid Tancred after hearing him confirm his tagging-along, because Tancred was looking directly at her. It wasn't one of those awkward glances she had been having with him for the sporadic hour-and-a-half of their annual Pets' Cafe meeting. It was intense eye-contact, the type of intensity that Emma only had the chance to witness once before, where Tancred was capable of showing all of his emotions (both good and bad) and also showing his weaknesses. He had shown this to her before when she had come to visit him and he had come back to life and thanked her countless times for saving him.

Back then it was what made shy Emma shake at the knees with his gaze, but with the older Emma, instead of making her feel weak and nervous, it only ignited her frustration towards him and his hesitation. If the damn fool was going to stare intensely at her, then the least he could do was verbalize his feelings.

"Thanks, Tanc." Olivia glanced between Tancred and Emma, an apprehensive look in her eyes. Emma gave a firm, subtle nod to her best friend, folding her arms across her chest in a challenging pose and glaring silently back at the storm-monger continuing to make the most awkward eye-contact in the history of relationships.

Well this was going to be a fun trip.

* * *

As soon as their meeting ended, Fidelio, Olivia, Tancred, and Emma were all picked up by Mr. Gunn, who decided to take the family camping van despite the four teenagers barely bringing anything with them ("It's spontaneous," Olivia said as they waited. "That's what makes it so interesting! I mean, who wants to go on a _planned_ trip when you can have more fun when it's _not_ planned!"). They didn't complain, anyway, the fact they were going to the beach was good enough.

The seating arrangement was what ticked Emma off the most. Olivia and Fidelio practically shoved her and Tancred into the back seat without even saying or agreeing upon anything before they took residency in the spacious middle seats. The back seat was claustrophobic and cramped, with barely any room for Emma's feet on top of Tancred's large ones. There was also probably an inch or two separating them from touching each other with their knees, hips, and arms.

Olivia had the gall to turn around and grin at them.

"Hope it's not too crowded back there, not that that's a bad thing, of course."

_I'm going to kill you_. Emma said with her eyes.

_Olivia, you are brilliant!_ Tancred said with his eyes.

Olivia just giggled before turning back around and placing her head on Fidelio's shoulder. He kissed her head before putting an arm around her, looking so comfortable and secure, as if they were in their own little bubble.

Tancred and Emma just sat there, Emma refusing to make eye-contact with Tancred, while Tancred himself was trying to get Emma to talk to him.

It probably went on like that for an hour or so, until Olivia quickly retracted her head away from Fidelio's embrace to excitedly look out the window.

"Oh! Mr. Gunn can we please stop here for a rest? I want to check out that marketplace!"

Mr. Gunn chuckled, his baritone laugh resonating like a bass drum throughout the car as he stopped at a convenient gas station nearby. "Certainly, Miss Olivia. In fact, I might as well load the van up while you're all at it."

"Thank you!" And with that, Olivia dragged her three companions out of the van and towards the marketplace that appeared to be a bizarre of some sort with vendors selling a colorful assortment of fruits and an array of diverse gifts. "Oooh! Fidelio look at that! You can get a new chin rest for your violin!" She pulled a laughing Fidelio towards a vendor that appeared to be selling instrument designs for the actual instrument.

Emma and Tancred were alone.

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"Er...Do you want-?"

"Tancred."

"Um...Y-Yes?"

"How about instead of asking me what I want to do, you tell me straight-up what's going on between us. Because I don't know about you, but I feel as if I've been played this entire time ever since you and I just...just stopped...whatever it was we had."

Emma, unlike the Emma he had always known, gave him a fierce glare. "Emma, you have no idea how long I've waited-"

"How long you've waited? That's a joke, because last time I checked, _you_ weren't the one who was waiting for _something_ to happen. I think that entitlement goes to me..."

Tancred ran both of his hands through his hair, looking and feeling complete frustrated with himself for trying to find the right words. "Emma, I-"

"Hiya cutie!"

Both the bird-girl and the storm-monger jumped up when they heard the high pitch voice right next to them. When they recovered they glanced down to find a little girl staring up at them with a bemused expression on her face. She looked no more than six years old and had curly, short red hair, freckles and a dimpled smile that radiated such happiness, that despite their current circumstance, Emma and Tancred relaxed a little.

"Can we help you?" Tancred asked, bending down to the little girl before him with an overly-exaggerated plastic smile on his face. He glanced up at Emma with an apologetic look in his eyes, she shook her head and bent down as well, plastering on her own fake smile.

The girl smiled wide, her two front teeth missing. "Oh nothin'. I was just lookin' at ya." She pointed at Tancred. Emma tensed up, though she knew she shouldn't have since the girl was like, eight years younger than her...and didn't have any chances of getting Tancred...and

_OH MY GOD what am I thinking?!_

Tancred scoffed in disbelief. "Yeah? Why's that?"

"'Cause I think you're cute." The girl twirled around and poked Tancred on the cheek, earning a disbelieving glance from the storm-monger. Emma, albeit her thoughts on the little girl (which were totally random when she thought back to it), cracked a grin and a giggle. "Are you his girlfriend?"

This time the question was applied directly to Emma, who recovered from her amused chuckles and stared in disbelief at the little girl. "Why do you think that?"

Out of all the questions she could have asked, it had to be that one...

The girl shrugged. "I don't know, but you're bickering." Tancred and Emma glanced guiltily at one another.

"So?"

"Well, my mamma says that when a boy and a girl argue, that actually means they like each other. _Soooo_," the girl sang out, twirling in her flowery skirt once again. "that must mean that you two like each other!"

Tancred and Emma both blushed an extreme red in color and refused to make eye-contact once again. The little girl, oblivious to the subtle signals that she shouldn't have said anything, pointed it out and practically screamed it to the whole marketplace. "SEE! You're both blushing! That means you _do_ like each other and that means you _are_ boyfriend and girlfriend!"

"Should you be with your mamma, little miss?" Tancred said in an embarrassed tone, glancing around for an adult looking for this little kid who was making completely embarrassing conversation with two teenagers.

The girl smiled. "She's working here and that means I'm allowed to go anywhere I want for as long as I want to!"

"Great." Tancred muttered under his breath, running his hands through his hair again, a nervous habit he picked up when Emma made it clear to him that she was angry at him when they first dislodged from their...relationship.

Emma, being the more logical and patient one despite her annoyance with Tancred, knelt down in front of the girl. "Well, I'm afraid this talk has gotten a bit farther than we thought it would be. And you also interrupted what we were bickering about, so-"

"What were you bickering about?" The little girl had the most innocent look on her face, that Emma was afraid she couldn't continue on with what she was originally going to say.

"Well, um, we-"

And at that moment, Tancred knelt down right next to Emma, brushing up against her with his arm, and looked straight at the little girl before looking straight at Emma with that intense gaze again before he said, "We were bickering about how I was an idiot for not telling her how I feel about her."

Emma went speechless and gaped openly at Tancred. _Is he seriously doing this right now?_

"Why did you think he was an idiot?" The little girl looked confused and turned towards Emma for the answer, but Tancred beat her to it.

_Better late than never, Torsson_, Tancred thought before continuing on. "See, I was an idiot, because she thought I was leading her on during our celebration over something we had won together with our friends. I held her hand and everything, but then I just had to go ahead and be so stupid because I just _assumed_ that we were together." He decided to screw it and turned to Emma, who stared back at him. His words were directed at her.

"I was so stupid for thinking that, because that's not what a relationship is supposed to be. You can't assume that the other person knows what you're feeling even when you've known them for what seems like forever in the history books. It was my fault because I came out of an immature relationship and I still had no bloody clue how to even properly ask a girl out. I still don't," he scoffed at himself and Emma did the same thing, looking so emotional it was encouraging him. "I should've told you how I felt, Emma, because you're honestly the best thing that ever came into my stormy life...no pun intended."

And that laugh, that glorious laugh, resounded from her throat and surrounded Tancred with such happiness that it was enough for him. To his surprise, he was more teary than she was, in fact, Tancred Torsson was actually crying while Emma Tolly just laughed and laughed and laughed.

The little girl looked like she knew something that they both didn't. "And if you could tell her how you felt right now, what would it be?"

Tancred and Emma stared back at each other. That seemed to happen a lot that day, in such a short time. The staring.

"I'd tell her that I love her and I hope, in her beautiful heart," Tancred choked on his words being so emotionally unstable. The wind around them actually started to increase in velocity and Emma actually started to have tears in her eyes (and not from the wind) that it made it a bit more bearable. "she'll find someway to forgive me for being such a stupid, empty-headed, storm-monger."

Emma clasped both of her hands around his face, taking his breath away. "Oh I forgive you, you idiot. With a confession like that, how could I not?"

And with that she pressed her lips gently to his and he wrapped his arms around her as his wind increased in speed. They were in their own world and they didn't even pay attention to the way the people around them exclaimed in surprise, or the fact that they were kissing in front of a little girl, who was probably confused out of her little mind that these two random teenagers she just met actually made up in their bickering and were now all lovey-dovey with each other...

"ABOUT TIME!"

Tancred and Emma pulled apart, but were still wrapped up in each other. The little girl next to them faded away and left the two in a state of utter confusion, before they realized what had happened.

There, with the biggest grins on their adorable faces, was Olivia Vertigo and Fidelio Gunn. They looked so happy, they might have jumped up and down like little kids themselves if it wasn't for the fact that Tancred and Emma slowly came to a realization.

"Olivia Vertigo, did you just play us?" Emma cried in astonishment.

"Yep and you totally fell for it!" Olivia laughed, proudly.

Fidelio stared affectionately at her. "She's been practicing all summer."

Olivia pecked him on the cheek. "And you should know, since you helped, Fido."

"So you basically made an illusion of a little girl and-and made her talk?" Tancred was in a little disbelief, as he never knew Olivia had the capability of having her illusions talk.

"Pretty much. But, I have to admit, I wasn't actually planning on it, but I just felt like it was the perfect opportunity to do it since it was so...spontaneous."

Fidelio chuckled. "Yeah right, Liv. You were planning something and it was no where near anything like this."

"_Not_ true!"

And as they playfully teased each other, Tancred and Emma looked back at each other and grinned. They still had their arms wrapped around each other perfectly and the distance between them was too much to bear, so like all romantic teenagers in love, they kissed again. This time, it was uninterrupted.

Olivia and Fidelio noticed this and just laughed.

"Well, so much for my idea on the beach."

"Which consisted of what, exactly?"

"Luring them away from the car and driving off with your dad to the nearest fast food place."

* * *

**The ending isn't really to my liking, but oh well. It might take me a little while to get the next chapter started because I'm leaving for France! Argh, I'm so excited you don't even know! But as always, I will do my best :)**


End file.
